Honoring the Service Branches: Navy Preview

This tour contains three types of stops:

• HONOR stops mark the gravesites of specific indivudals.
• REMEMBER stops commemorate events, ideas, and groups of people.
• EXPLORE stops invite you to discover what history means to you.

The United States Navy traces its history to the Revolutionary War. On October 3, 1775, General George Washington received news that the British Navy had sent two ships loaded with supplies for British troops in Quebec. Instead of waiting for the Continental Congress to authorize the formation of a navy, Washington stationed three vessels off the coast of Massachusetts to cut off Britain’s supply line. In a letter addressed to the Continental Congress, Washington reported his decision and underscored the need for a navy. On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress formed the Continental Navy. The following February, the first naval squadron was launched, and by 1777 the Continental Navy totaled 31 ships. After the Revolutionary War ended, the Continental Congress sold the surviving ships of the Continental Navy and released its sailors and officers.

• On June 4, 1942 a bombing squad commanded by Best played a crucial role in sinking the Japansese aircraft carriers Akagi and Hiryu at the Battle of Midway.
• For his actions that day Best was awarded the Navy Cross and Distinguished Flying Cross.
• By halting the advance of Japanese forces at Midway, the U.S. assumed an offensive position for the remainder of the war, leading to its eventual victory.

During World War II, Japan targeted the Midway Islands in the Pacific Ocean to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet and gain a foothold for future military operations. Located 1,300 miles northwest of Honolulu, the Midway Islands would allow Japan a refueling station for its aircraft. Fought almost entirely by carrier-based airplanes off the northeast islands, the Battle of Midway took place from June 3 to June 6, 1942. The U.S. victory at Midway was a turning point in the Pacific theater of World War II. The battle cost Japan four aircraft carriers, many of its finest pilots and about three thousand Japanese deaths. ​

• In 1919 he helped solve navigation issues for the Navy's first transatlantic flight.
• Defended naval aviaton before Congress and advocated for the creation of the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics.
• Attemped the first flight over the North Pole in 1926.

• Pionneered the creation of nuclear-powered ships, and oversaw the development of the first nuclear-powered submarine the USS Nautilius.
• Revolutionized naval warfare with his ideas on nuclear-power.
• Second American ever awarded two Congressional Gold Medals.
• Was awarded the Presidental Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter.
• At the time of his death, he was the longest serving naval officer in history, serving 63 years.

• Served in both World War I and World War II.
• Served as director of the Navy Women’s Reserves, or WAVES, in World War II.
• Helped get Congress to pass the Women Armed Services Integration Act of 1948, which secured women a permanent place in the military during peacetime.

Embedded in the history of the U.S. military is a rich legacy of women who fought and sacrificed their lives on the front lines. During the Revolutionary War, Deborah Sampson famously disguised herself as a man in order to join the Continental Army. She was the first American woman to receive a full military pension for her service. In the War of 1812, Lucy Brewer served in the Marines under the name of George Baker. During the Mexican-American War, Elizabeth Newcom enlisted as Bill Newcom and marched 600 miles with the Missouri Volunteer Infantry. ​

This pattern continued during the Civil War. Historians estimate that between 400 and 1,000 women disguised themselves as men and enlisted in the U.S. or Confederate Army. The implementation of more stringent physicals in 1872, however, made the Civil War the last major conflict in which women could enlist by concealing their gender.

• Discovered and confirmed the existance of Antarctica.
• Led an expedition which collected over 60,000 plant and bird specimens.
• Mapped many of the Pacific islands.

• Halsey commanded U.S. Navy forces in the South Pacific during World War II.
• In 1944 he assumed command of the Third Fleet — which played a decisive role in the defeat of Japan.
• He was promoted to fleet admiral (five-star) in December 1945, the fourth Naval officer to achieve that rank.

• As chief of naval operations from 1937 to 1939, he oversaw the Navy's return to preparedness during the lead-up to World War II.
• Promoted to the rank of fleet admiral during World War II.

Between 1892 and 1943, 11 American Revolutionary War veterans were moved from their original burial locations and reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery (Section 1, Grave 295-1-2). During this time, the cemetery had gone from being one of many national cemeteries to America’s “Most Sacred Shrine.” As Arlington became a more important part of the national consciousness, many people thought it fitting to rebury veterans of the nation’s founding conflict here. ​

John Follin (1761-1841), from Virginia, is the only Continental Navy sailor buried at Arlington. He was just 17 years old when British sailors took him captive. Follin was held as a prisoner of war for three years.

On February 15, 1898, an explosion in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, ripped open the hull of the USS Maine, sinking the ship and killing more than 260 of the American sailors on board. The Maine had been sent to Cuba to protect American interests during the Cuban fight for independence from Spain. Historians are still unsure what caused the explosion, but popular sentiment in the United States at the time blamed Spain.​

Fueled by concern for the condition of the Cuban rebels, general opposition to European colonization of the Americas, and public outrage over the destruction of the Maine, the U.S. declared war against Spain on April 25, 1898. The USS Maine Memorial overlooks the remains of those who died when the ship exploded. ​

The wreckage of the Maine remained on the ocean floor for years after the Spanish-American War. Calls to excavate the ship from the sea and preserve it heightened on the 10th anniversary of the explosion, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiated its plan to raise the Maine in July 1910. In March 1912, the Navy transported the ship’s mast to Arlington, where it was placed onto a granite base meant to represent the turret of a battleship. The names of those who died in the explosion were inscribed onto the base. The memorial is located on Sigsbee Drive, named after Admiral Charles Dwight Sigsbee, who was in command of the vessel when it exploded; Admiral Sigsbee survived the sinking. Located behind the memorial are two bronze mortars captured from the Spanish during the war. The memorial was unveiled and dedicated by President Woodrow Wilson in a large public ceremony held on May 30, 1915.

Many Americans know the phrase “Remember the Maine!” from history lessons on the Spanish-American War. In 1898, “Remember the Maine!” became a catch-phrase associated with newspapers that sensationalized the USS Maine’s explosion in order to build public support for a war with Spain. Today, take the time to remember the Maine in a different way, by learning about the ship and the people who lost their lives aboard it.

On July 29, 1967, while stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam, the 5,000-person crew of the USS Forrestal prepared for another day of airstrikes against North Vietnam. ​

At about 10:50 a.m. local time, a Zuni rocket ignited onboard, causing a chain reaction of explosions. Initially, the rocket launched across the flight deck and ruptured a 400-gallon fuel tank attached to an armed A-4E Skyhawk attack jet. At that moment, a deadly fire started. As the jet fuel burned with ferocity, one of the Skyhawk’s 1,000-lb. bombs also fell onto the deck, cracked open and began burning. ​

The ship’s fire crew immediately began fighting the fire, but they were unable to prevent a chain reaction of explosions that tore into the flight deck.

• One of the earliest women to be commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy.
• Implimented high standards for recruting in the Navy.
• Introduced reforms to improve the lives of sailors.

• One of the first nurses in the Navy Nurse Corps.
• As the second superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps, she shaped naval nursing.
• Higbee oversaw the Navy Nurse Corps through World War I and the 1918 influenza epidemic and was awarded the Navy Cross for her service.

• Awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the First World War.
• As a congressman, he advocated for veterans' benefits.
• Played a key role in securing funding for a naval base in San Diego.

• Played a key role integrating the U.S. Navy.
• First African American officer to command a U.S. Navy warship.

• Hopper was pioneer in the field of computer programming.
• She wrote the first operations manual for the Mark I, and assisted with the construction of the Mark II and Mark III computers.
• She spearheaded development of the first word-based computer programming language FLOW-MATIC, which made the world of computer science more accessible to people without math and engineering backgrounds.

You've reached the end of the U.S. Navy Walking Tour. We hope you enjoyed your time exploring the cemetery and learning about the lives of these groundbreaking service members!

You can explore additional content and resources on the Arlington National Cemetery Education Program website, or find more tours through Arlington National Cemetery's STQRY.